


Courting Celebration

by Magnonette



Series: Whumptober 2020 [28]
Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Bonfires, Celebrations, Courtship, Fluff and Angst, Maybe - Freeform, Midsummer, Party, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27252688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnonette/pseuds/Magnonette
Summary: It was that time again, that time of the year when people from farther away would come to the Valley to participate at the great midsummer bonfire. Family and friends of the inhabitants were coming, but not only them, the bonfire always attracted strangers from around the world that were curious about the festivities.Sadly, this time of year wasn’t a joyful time for everybody. For Snufkin, it rhymed with hurting season. It was due to the fact that, to Snufkin great despair, a lot of people, almost everyone, romanticized his vagabond lifestyle, thinking of it very unrealistically. It often ended up with some stranger trying to court him during the celebration and following him around until they finally got the message of his reject and left.
Relationships: Mumintrollet | Moomintroll & Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Mumintrollet | Moomintroll/Snorkfröken | The Snork Maiden/Snusmumriken | Snufkin
Series: Whumptober 2020 [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948144
Kudos: 20





	Courting Celebration

**Author's Note:**

> Such Wow. Many Normal. Very Oops. - Accidents - Hurting Season - Mugged

It was that time again, that time of the year when people from farther away would come to the Valley to participate at the great midsummer bonfire. Family and friends of the inhabitants were coming, but not only them, the bonfire always attracted strangers from around the world that were curious about the festivities.

Sadly, this time of year wasn’t a joyful time for everybody. For Snufkin, it rhymed with hurting season. It was due to the fact that, to Snufkin great despair, a lot of people, almost everyone, romanticized his vagabond lifestyle, thinking of it very unrealistically. It often ended up with some stranger trying to court him during the celebration and following him around until they finally got the message of his reject and left.

Snufkin really hate this time of the year. He would love to spend time with his friends and his family at the party for a while, until he got tired of the company and the noise, but everything was always ruined by those stranger trying to win him over. He really hated the attention and the courting was the worst. Some would thankfully understand his rejection from the first time he said no and would leave him alone for the rest of the time they’d spent there, but some were more persistent, less understanding and unwilling to listen to his reject.

He would always try to avoid staying at the party, retreating to his tent quickly when he would notice that he could escape unseen. He always felt bad about it, as it often meant he couldn’t tell Moomin or anyone else that he was leaving and always heard about how they searched for him for the whole party the next day.

This year was no exception. 

Everything was going well at first, Moomin and Snorkmaiden had asked him to spend time with them, to dance and drink together, before Snufkin decided to join the small band that always came for the occasion to play with them, as he often did on that occasion.

He was really having a good time at first, Moomin’s and Snorkmaiden’s company was very pleasant, and he really loved to play for everyone for a while with the band, even taking a break to drink with them to rest from their playing.

But, as he started to go around the crowd, talking here and there with a few people, enjoying his time at the celebration, he started to notice someone following him and staring at him. The staring was starting to make him uncomfortable, and he was starting to think that he should probably try to make his exit now. 

But, as he was thinking over it, the stranger finally approached him. This one immediately got to his knees, taking one of Snufkin’s paw and started to recite a poem to him about a romanticized version of his lifestyle and about his handsomeness. Snufkin flinched, pulling back his paw and keeping it against his chest as he looked down at the man with disgust. In the confusion of the party, no one really seemed to notice the strange interaction happening in the middle of the crowd.

Snufkin tried to apologize politely, hiding his disgust as best as he could, and tried to make the stranger understand that he wasn’t interested at all. He really hoped it would be one of those who would understand quickly, but, as he feared, the man continued to try and court him, talking dramatically about how it was humble of him to want to protect them from their lifestyle. Snufkin cut them short, however, completely rejecting him, and making sure to make it clear that he would never be interested in him. 

He didn’t wait for the man to say anything, turning his back to him and walking quickly away. He was sure it wouldn’t work, as he knew that when someone didn’t listen to his first rejection, they would persist until the end, or until his father came by and took care of the situation for him.

Before he found a way to make his way out from the party, to retreat to his tent and try to forget about the bad encounter, he was called back in by Moomin and Snorkmaiden, who’d noticed that he was trying to leave.

“Are you already leaving?” Moomin asked, tail dropping.

“I-” Snufkin was taken short, as he’d never thought he would be seen by his friends before going away. “I’m a little tired from the party. I was thinking about going away for a little why.” He admitted quietly, taking his tail in his paws, in a manner similar to Moomin’s when this one was nervous.

“Do you want to go walk in the forest with us?” Snorkmaiden offered gently, trying to hide the shyness in her tone.

“I… I think I’d really like that.” Snufkin nodded, thankful for the offer as it would allow him to leave and not have to take care of the stranger anymore, and still spend time with his friends.

With that, Moomin and Snorkmaiden took his paws, refusing to look at him as they did, and walked with him in the forest. Snufkin was surprised by their action but didn’t say anything, hiding behind his hat as he blushed, and followed them as they led him through the forest.

They didn’t talk, Snufkin slowly recovering and taking back the lead of the group. He led them through the forest and to a nice clearing, to a small cliff that gave away onto the beach. Moomin and Snorkmaiden knew the spot, as Snufkin had taken them there before and knew Snufkin liked to come here when he needed to rest from the attention or from the noise.

They sat near the cliff together, talking quietly and enjoying the night’s calm breeze as the waves of the sea hit the shore distantly. They were enjoying themselves, the encounter with the man already forgotten in Snufkin’s mind to be replaced by Moomin’s and Snorkmaiden’s joyous talk.

At least, for a while.

After a long time, the three of them were cut of in their laughter by the sound of someone approaching. Snufkin immediately stiffened as he realized that it was the same man as before that was coming towards them, eyes fixed still on him. 

Moomin and Snorkmaiden, who were looking at the man, realized that something was wrong when they noticed how still Snufkin was, his tail puffed in alarm and trashing nervously behind him. They tried to ask him what was wrong but Snufkin didn’t answer them.

The stranger made his way to the three of them before starting to court Snufkin openly again. He was very insistent and talked about Snufkin as if he knew him perfectly, pretending that Snufkin was just shy and that it was cute, that he was just acting like a small animal, and things that even Moomin and Snorkmaiden were shocked by.

Moomin and Snorkmaiden watched in shock at first, listening to the stupidities the man was rambling about as Snufkin sat still in between them, obviously uncomfortable and nervous. How could some random stranger talk so much like they knew Snufkin, and say such stupid, romanticized things about him that they all knew were totally wrong.

After a few minutes of shock, Moomin and Snorkmaiden looked at each other, nodding before intervening. They excuse themselves and asked the man to leave, as he was making their friend uncomfortable, but the man glared at them before complaining that they were bothering him while he was trying to court his prey. 

Snufkin then finally recovered enough to snap at him, asking him to leave him alone and making it clear that he was in no way interested in having anything to do with him.

But, the man didn’t listen, laughing it off and putting his reject on the effect of the shyness. As Moomin and Snorkmaiden kept trying to make him stop annoying their friend, the man kept talking about how courting a vagabond was like an adventure itself and how it was hard but that, in the end, he would manage to force him to follow him, and they would live happily together, and how he would finally offer what Snufkin needed, a home and a family.

Moomin got very angry at the man, snapping at him and telling him to go away and leave Snufkin alone, backed up by Snorkmaiden, as they explained that he was making him uncomfortable and that he didn’t know anything about him.

The man wasn’t happy with them trying to protect Snufkin, still certain that he knew better than them who the vagabond was and what he needed. He started to become more and more aggressive towards them, telling them to back off while he worked on his quest.

As they continued to argue together, in front of a very nervous and uncomfortable Snufkin, things got heated up. The man pushed Moomin violently as they were arguing, sending him backward, just enough that he lost his footing and fell of the cliff.

Snorkmaiden and Snufkin cried out to Moomin as he fell, trying to catch him but failing. It was too much for both of them. Snorkmaiden, now a dark red color, and Snufkin, his eyes the most threatening they’d ever been and his fangs showing, snapped at the man, telling him to back off and leave them alone.

Sadly, the man was still determined that it was his destiny to get Snufkin to follow him home and give him a family and home. He continued to try to court Snufkin talking about how Moomin deserved it and wouldn’t bother him ever again and that Snufkin would soon be free from his keepers.

It was the last straw for the both of them. Snufkin and Snorkmaiden grabbed him by the collar, spitting in his face as they told him dead on that they wanted nothing to do with him and to leave Snufkin alone.

As the man started to try to break free, trying to push off Snorkmaiden while claiming that she would have to leave his love alone and let him go. He managed to make her fall back, falling to the ground near the cliff’s edge. Snufkin was so angry at him that he took out his claws and clawed the man’s face while yelling at him to leave them all alone and to get lost.

The man was so taken aback and scared at Snufkin’s sudden violence that he ran away quickly, leaving Snufkin panting as Snorkmaiden got back to her yelling at the man to never come back as well.

She put a gentle paw on Snufkin’s shoulder as he tried to recover and calm himself down. He looked at her gratefully, his own paw coming up to rest atop hers. 

As soon as he was calmed, Snufkin and Snorkmaiden called out to Moomin, looking down the cliff to see him getting himself to sit up painfully. They hurried down to join his side, fussing over him worriedly.

“Are you alright?” Snufkin asked worriedly. “Did you get hurt?”

“I’m fine.” Moomin reassured gently. “Just a little bruised nothing bad.”

“Are you sure?” Snorkmaiden asked.

“Of course.” Moomin smiled at them reassuringly.

Snufkin couldn’t help but fall to his knees next to Moomin and slump against Moomin, his head coming to rest on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” He sighed sadly, his voice suggesting that tears were starting to well up in his eyes. “It’s my fault…”

“It’s not your fault!” Moomin and Snorkmaiden argued. “That guy was the one bothering you that doesn’t make it your fault, it’s theirs.” Snorkmaiden explained, Moomin nodding along. “And you made it clear to him that you weren’t interested too.”

“Still…” Snufkin sniffed quietly, not daring to look up from Moomin’s shoulder.

“It’s not.” Moomin said firmly. “ And I’m fine anyway so there is no damage done.” 

“Moomin is right.” Snorkmaiden agreed, putting a delicate paw on Snufkin’s shoulder. “And you gave him a good lesson. I hope that’ll teach him to annoy you.” She huffed.

“Maybe we should go back to the house for today though.” Moomin offered, knowing that Snufkin wouldn’t want to continue talking about it. “We could have a sleepover.” 

“Oh! That sounds good to me.” Snorkmaiden said, delighted at the idea. “What do you say Snuf?”

Snufkin looked up timidly at them, eyes still watering, and nodded. Moomin and Snorkmaiden helped him up again, squeezing gently his paws as they led him to the house.

The rest of the night was spent in a quiet and peaceful way, Moomin, Snorkmaiden and Snufkin were tucked into a freshly made blanket castle, telling stories of their own as they lay there.

Of course, they couldn’t hide away from everyone forever, as Little My came looking for them and forced them to explain what had happened. They had to explain, as no one could really hide anything from her, and she went of to tell the Inspector and the Moomins about it. 

Thankfully, she had noticed the stranger and his strange interaction with Snufkin at the party and could point him out to the Inspector, who made sure that this one would leave and never come back to the valley.

The Moomins explained it to Snufkin the next day as, when they got back that night, the three of them were already asleep, all curled up together in their little fortress. Joxter and Little My would scold Snufkin lightly later for not coming to find them instead of running away, which Snufkin would huff at, explaining that he just wanted to be away from all the noise anyway and didn’t want to bother finding them.

At least, they could finally rest, now that the bonfire was over and everyone leaving, assured that they wouldn’t have this problem before another year. Snufkin, Moomin and Snorkmaiden would never hear the end of Little My teasing them about how the three of them had run away together to be alone far from everyone else.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it!
> 
> Again, Snufkin is the main lead of this fic, but he's not the one getting hurt this time! And who wouldn't want to court such a cute guy (aside from my gay ass) but hey, they got no chance face to his friends. At least this guy got his lesson and won't ever come back to bother them :3


End file.
